Poisonous Journeys
by PolarGuy
Summary: A boys tale to travel across the whole of Johto with a Croagunk. What he will do? Even he doesn't know. Which starter to pick? Only YOU know. Just read.


"Yes. Yes. I have. OK. Fine. I'll remember. OK. I understand... Don't call me Jimmy, I'm James... OK. Yeah. OK... Yes...'  
This continued for about another 5 minutes, before I almost collapsed , so I just bolted out the door and shouted "BYE MOM!" I laughed silently to myself as I remembered that actually, I hadn't packed any repels... but I figured what the hell and ran off to Professor Elm's lab anyway. I heard a quiet croaking behind me as I prepared to start sprinting, so I turned around with a sympathetic smile on my face. My baby pet Croagunk that I had found under a bush, as if a gift from Arceus was waddling after me, a bloated, happy look on its face. I bent down and put my arm out for it to climb up on, and it jumped on, using its not yet poisonous pincir-like hands to climb up my arm. I tutted jokingly at his escape attempt from my mom, but started to run again, my Croagunk curiously nibbling at a Berry it had found on a small tree. It was tiny when I first saw it on a walk with my school, fighting with a Vulpix. My teacher quickly intervened, attacking and successfully catching the Vulpix with her Gible, before applying a Potion to the Croagunk and continuing the trip Ever since then, I had secretly admired that teacher for passing on this Croagunk (at least, inadvertedly) to me. I sympathised and picked up the little Croagunk and gently placed it in my pocket. Ever since then it had been my pet, even though I'd never succeeded in my dream of becoming a Pokemon trainer or even a contest entrant because my mom had forbid it, saying my Croagunk was too weak, not listening to the fact that it would get stronger if I _did_ battle it.

Here it was in all its glory. Professor Elm's... house-lab? Lab-house? Something like that. I didn't have time to check it fully because I saw a redheaded, sinister looking red haired boy, about two years older than me, 14 at most. He was looking inside the main room containing the Pokemon and scribbling a sketch onto a piece of paper resting on his hand. He stuffed it into his back pocket and ran towards me, his eyes widening to the size of the Moon. He looked angry, and shoved me out of the way, before jumping over a fence and disappearing completely from view. A bewildered look on my face, I entered the lab, surveying my surroundings as I walked along a long drawn out hallway. People in lab coats were conducting experiments hypothetically and sketching out various antidotes to diseases. And at the end of the hallway, Professor Elm was somewhat clumsily lying sideways on an armchair, eating a banana. He had scruffled brown hair, and was in formal wear, as if about to leave. All of a sudden he leapt to his feet and scurried around, a worried look on his face. Intrigued, I followed along the hallway as papers madly fell off of all surfaces available. But what was he looking for? I was here for an assignment, but...  
"Erm... Professor?" I asked, tapping him on the shoulder. He jumped on the spot, and turned around, shoving some papers into my hands. He looked at me with an awkward smile on his face  
"Hold these for just a sec." He said hurriedly, before turning back to his desks and grabbing many different pieces of scrunched up paper. "So what did you come over here for James?" he asked, his head still turned away from me.  
"Well, I _was_ going to ask you for a job to do because I need some more money on my hands..." Elm turned around, looking disapproving.  
"... but I see I've already got one. Where is it?" he looked at me inquiringly.  
"What? What do you mean?" I facepalmed, but then said in a slow, pretend-mocking voice.  
"The piece of paper, or whatever it is you're looking for." A dawn of realization struck him, and he nodded.  
"OK, Mr Pokémon is holding a huge party later on for Gold's 20th Pokémon League Champion year." I nodded, and smiled. "...Buuuuuuut... I've lost my invite, and there are bouncers just waiting to beat me up if I go there without an invite..." he shuddered as if it had happened before. I held back the urge to laugh as he continued his sentence.  
"So please may you ask for another from him? Just tell him I sent you, he knows you, he shouldn't ask any questions. So bye!" he shouted, practically shoving me out of the door. I gave him an annoyed look, before hoisting Croagunk on to my shoulder and ran down and away from New Bark Town.

This was about the time I started to regret forgetting the Repels. As I waded through the grass many Rattata were crawling along the floor, shooting me dubious looks. But for some reason, they left me well alone... Why? I continued on, aware of my surroundings, before I bumped into something large. Something rock hard, and something that couldn't have been bypassed. A Drowzee. It stared me down and started to step towards me slowly and surely, raising a fist as if to strike me in the stomach. I could hear my Croagunk trying to reason with the Drowzee frantically, but it boomed a deep laugh and brought its fist down. I braced myself for pain, but instead heard the cry of the Drowzee in pain. I saw that my Croagunk had jumped down my arm and Poison Jabbed it in the hand. It turned around to me and rolled its head in a circle, as if to say, "COME ON! WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?" I stuttered, but I'd seen enough on television to know a Croagunk... Erm... It was a good attacker... Erm...  
"Use X-Scissor?" it nodded, and its hands began to glow a light green as Drowzee prepared a Focus Punch slowly. It let rip its punch, but Croagunk was long gone. It used its small size to scale the large Drowzee's body and made an X shape-slash on the back of its head. It fell comically on to its head, so Croagunk slid off and ran back on to my shoulder. I ran back on to the route I just came from to try to get back to Professor Elm , but he was already there, mouth open, eyes narrowed. He was obviously extremely impressed, but instead of the reaction I was hoping for, which was to heal my Pokémon, he handed me a Pokedex and shoved me all the way back to my house.  
"Erm... Professor Elm? What are you _doing_?" I asked, but he was smiling.  
"I _knew_ that I saw promise in you! I _knew_ it! That baby Croagunk... Was too strong for a non-trainer!" he started mumbling to himself randomly, and I tried to escape his tight grasp as we entered my house.  
"James, I have a surprise, but you'll have to go to your room for about half an hour? OK?" I nodded sceptically, and ran up to my room. However, only one thing was swimming around my head as I dizzily fell on to my bed.  
What the hell was a Drowzee doing in my neighbourhood?  
Especially in Johto?

"OK, James!" Professor Elm was saying to me, looking down at my hat as if it was the first one he had ever seen. My mother was beaming at a distance as my Croagunk still tried to nibble on a berry, but it was having trouble with it. I slowly looked for an opportunity to intervene and snatched it away from him. He started to cry, but I petted him absentmindedly as I recognised what was stuck in the berry.  
"A Rare Candy?" I gave it back to Croagunk who swallowed it whole and grew a little as a result  
"Ah! You can correctly recognise items! Even more proof that you are ready to become a trainer like Keith!" I shot a glare at Elm when he said that. Always, I had been in my brother, Keith's shadow up until he left 2 years ago. He was just so high and mighty that the only one he respected in the entire village was Elm, due to his knowledge. Even my mother felt ignored, and we were both secretly relieved when he left without a word.  
Despite that, I had never beaten him and his goddamn Kibago. He went off to explore Isshu as part of a school trip and smuggled one back, and so acted like it was the best thing since sliced bread, because he'd only ever lost to a blond-haired woman who I'd never caught the name of, seeing as he was so reluctant to talk about it.  
Elm realised his mistake and quickly got back to speaking.  
"Erm... anyway. I think that you should consider becoming a trainer James!" I smiled slyly as he suggested this, as I let my Croagunk hop on to my shoulder.  
"Well that sounds interesting Elm, but of course, I would need my mother's permission." I nodded at her, and she smiled, despite looking somewhat sad that her only child left was leaving her.  
And with that, I prepared to leave home.

* * *

I was heading off to Elm's lab for an official starter, My preparations were only getting a potion and 3 Poke Balls, but I felt I was ready to take on the world, with Croagunk by my side. Elm told me that by getting a regulation starter from any region, I would have an advantage, with 2 Pokemon, and also being eligible for Pokemon Contest challenges in Johto. Of course, I agreed, but didn't expect him to actually _have_ all starters from all 5 regions.  
And he did.  
And now there was only the choice.

* * *

So now you can influence the story, because each one will influence the story in their own way. CHOOSE NOW!


End file.
